Our project in Cambridge has come a long way since my last Blog post!

The live performance on 24th September was brilliantly received by the audience that attended the launch. It was exciting to see the sculpture and the choreography in its full effect in twilight. We had a lot of interest in the future of the work and a wonderfully positive comments from people I spoke with.

Soon after the live performance was complete, I began to think about making a film version of the work. Once again, I am working with James Williams, MovingProductions Photography, to transform the 15min live performance into a 5min film. At the end of September James and I began discussing our vision for the film.

Filming took place on the 16th and 18th October. To get the full effect of the lights, the film was shot at nightfall. James hired in a set of portable lights to ensure that the dancers were fully visible. The outcome were a series of really beautiful shots that captured the essence of the interactive sculpture and the choreography. Despite the cold, the dancers performed beautifully and were, as always, an absolute pleasure to work with. I throughly enjoyed this shoot as there was an experimental element to the approach James and I took- including a home made GoPro chest mount! Below are a few videos to give you a sneak peek at what we got up to…

We are now in the process of finalising the edit for the film! Keep your eyes peeled for the final cut!

We are now mid-way through the Research and Development for our latest project, ‘I’m Laughing At Clouds’, in Cambridge. Holly, Sarah and Glynn are dancing in the project and we are delighted to be joined on this project by Hannah and Camila from Cambridge Contemporary Contemporary Dance. It has been wonderful to have new dancers on the team to share ideas with.

The sculpture on site is a series of columns which detect the participants heart rate and emit light and sound at the same rate. Unfortunately, so far we have been unable to use this interactive element, so we are excited to begin working with the sound in the last three days of R&D. Despite a lack of sound, we have still been working on-site and have spent the last 4 days generating lots of movement. We have been working with incorporating spoken text into the choreography which is a new and exciting challenge for me! It has also helped us to learn all about different cloud formations!!

Look out for photos and videos coming soon!!

Having just recovered from the IN-SITE excitement, this weekend we kick off our next commission in the city of Cambridge.

Myself and DFDcollective have been commissioned by Michael Pinsky, a visual artist, to create a piece of work to be performed at the launch of his latest installation ‘I’m Laughing At Clouds’.

Michael Pinsky is an internationally renowned artist who has created many large scale works for both gallery spaces and the public realm. You can see examples of Michael’s previous work HERE. ‘I’m Laughing At Clouds’ consists of 9 light columns which sense the participants heart rate. Once the heat rate has been detected, the columns emit light and sound at the same rate. The choreography will explore a dynamic range of movement, producing varying heart rates from the dancers. This will be the first time I have incorporated technology into choreography, and I am really excited to begin working with the dancers on this new challenge.

Working with us will be two dancers from local company Cambridge Contemporary Dance. Hannah Spencer and Camila Maria will be joining us as guest dancers for this work. We are excited to welcome these new faces into our team.

Stay up to date with the creative process by continuing to follow the Blog throughout next week…

 

Writing this now, with rain streaming down the windows, it is difficult to imagine that the sun was out in full force for our final IN-SITE event on Saturday 22nd. It was a scorcher and a great way to end a fantastic project!

Our film was shown throughout the afternoon on the Big Screen opposite Chatham bus station. It was great to see the film on such a large scale and, with the pier in the background, it was a perfect way to culminate the project.

As well as the film on the Big Screen, myself and the dancers were performing throughout the afternoon on the pier itself. Nicola displayed some of her miniature dresses as a mini on-site gallery. With the amazing soundtrack by Janette Williams blasting out onto Sun Pier and the beautiful weather a brilliant atmosphere was created. We received amazing feedback from members of the audience and people seemed to really connect with the work and the project overall.

Nicola and I will be screening the film at events in the future, so keep an eye on the Blog/ Website for future dates. But for now we can sit back and be proud of everything we have achieved throughout the IN-SITE project- what a journey it has been…

“She’s LiKe a FoRest FiRe live performance, visual art and film screening was inter-twined to reflect the urban myth ‘Bluebell’. Not knowing the character beforehand, the combination and connection between the artists integral work most definitely sprung her to life. As part of IN-SITE 2015 this project provided me with just that and the quality was un-questionable, brilliant” Luci Napleton

Photography by Luci Napleton

 

After a short break, this seemed like a good time to reflect upon our screening event which was help on July 25th. Unlike the IN-SITE launch, this event was completely organised by myself, Nicola and the dancers. We are very proud of how the evening went.

The event took place at Sun Pier House tearooms. The tearooms provided the perfect atmosphere for the screening event. Tables were set up with information about the project and the other IN-SITE artists; guests were encouraged to look through pictures, information and Nicola’s giant sketch book. The bar was open and we had the help of the wonderful team at Sun Pier House.

The evening started out on Sun Pier with a performance from the dancers of Daisy Farris Dance Collective. This short piece introduced the evening, using the dresses to represent a river cutting through the middle of the choreography. The audience was then lead upstairs to the tearooms where they were encouraged to grab a drink and look at the displays. The film was screened shortly after. It was wonderful to be able to show the film in a location that played a key part in the making of the work (some of the film was event shot from Sun Pier House tearooms!). After the screening, a short Q&A took place, chaired by Laura Knight. This was a great opportunity to talk about the work further and give the audience an insight into our creative process and the research behind the work. (Look our for a video of the Q&A coming soon!).

Finally, the evening ended with the dancers performing short installation pieces at various locations around the tearooms. All these were based on elements of Bluebell’s life;

• It was said that Bluebell used to go into the local Post Office in Chatham and spend a long time arranging and rearranging small objects that belonged to her. Once she was happy with their formation, she would walk out of the Post Office and leave her display. Based on this Sarah and Laura performed an improvised installation based on the idea of arranging and rearranging various objects.
• Bluebell’s relationships and acquaintances are not completely clear, but local people have told us that she was in love with the doctor and would leave presents of oranges and bananas on his car. Hannah and Glynn performed a improvised duet based on this story. The movement looks at the concept of dancing with someone but never seeing them properly or seeing past them.
• Finally, it is well known in the local community that Bluebell’s appearance was theatrical and flamboyant. In response to this Nicola has created a white dress with illustrations of Bluebell’s life on the fabric. The dress has many layers and details and is created in a theatrical style. Holly wore this dress and performed snippets of her solo from the film as part of her installation performance in the tearooms.

You can see highlights of all the performances in the video below.

Overall the evening was a success. Nicola and I both felt that it was a great representation of the project. With a project that has so many elements and is rich with ideas and research, we have found it difficult to articulate the most important sections. This screening event felt like a confident step in the right direction and as we move forward we hope to find new ways to get the work to a range of different people. The most exciting thing about the project, is each time we talk about it to people or show the film, we have someone approach us afterwards with their own story about Bluebell. It is heart warming to know that this was a real person, with real experiences and who had a significant impact on her surrounding community. Each time a new story is revealed it adds to the potential and excitement of the work.

Catch our next event on August the 22nd where the film will be shown on the big screen opposite Chatham bus station every hour from 2-5. Myself and the dancers will also be performing on Sun Pier and Nicola will be creating art work throughout the day. We hope to see some familiar faces there!

Yesterday, 20th June, was the official launch for the  IN-SITE project and also our first public screening of the film! It was nerve racking to finally reveal months of hard work to an audience. We received some very positive feedback and comments from friends, family and the public.

The launch took place at the old Cafe at Hyde Housing, Rochester. We had The Culture Baton on site for Nicola to exhibit some of the work she had created as part of the project. Whilst she was in-situ, myself and my amazing team of helpers (dad, brother, boyfriend!) went about setting up the technical equipment. Throughout the afternoon, Nicola attracted people to talk about the project and have a look at her mini exhibition in The Baton. Once the technical kit was set-up, myself and the dancers rehearsed a short structured improvisation that we had prepared which would take place out in the courtyard and lead the audience in to watch the film in the cafe.

However, as expected with a lot of public/ outdoor art, not everything went completely to plan…The weather had been agreeable all day but, as though choreographed, as soon as we stepped outside to perform the heavens opened! The rain was so terrible that we had to perform an edited version inside the cafe. This was a difficult decision to make, as it felt like a big compromise artistically. However, the audience seemed to enjoy the intimate atmosphere that was created and had many positive comments afterwards.

After the film, Nicola and I answered a few questions about the film and talked in more depth about the work and the research. Each audience member was also given a small booklet with further information about Bluebell, the character that the film is based on. The booklet contained a few words explaining who she was and why she was important to us as well as pictures from the process and illustrations by Nicola. This is to allow a little more insight into the project if people wish to know more. They will be given out at each event.

Overall, myself and Nicola were pleased with the feedback we received for the film and I think we were both relieved to have finally shown it to the public without any hiccups! However, we have certainly got lots of food for thought for our future events in the summer- the weather being just one of them.

On the 25th July we will be hosting another event at Sun Pier Cafe at 6pm-7.30pm. This will involve a live dance improvisation on Sun Pier, followed by a screening in the cafe! We are really excited about this event as we will be returning to where it all began…Sun Pier! So be sure not to miss it!

On the 22nd August, we will be back in The Culture Baton from 2pm-5pm, this time on Sun Pier itself. We will be screening the film from inside the baton, with live performances happening throughout the afternoon. We hope that you will come down and see if occupy Sun Pier one last time!!!

A long overdue Blog post!

Back in May we spent a weekend filming on Sun Pier. Despite getting sunburnt in some interesting places (ankles being the best achievement!), the filming went really well overall! James Williams, the brilliant film maker we are working with, came fully prepared with a shot list so that the days ran smoothly. Our story boarding prior to the weekend came in extremely useful as we knew exactly what we needed to shoot and at what angle etc.

After a few days recovering from sun burn, we began the process of editing the film. Obviously, the majority of the editing work is down to James’s technical skill. However, it was important that Nicola and I had a significant input on the way the cuts were made and the overall flow and dynamic of the film. We worked closely with James to ensure that each section had the atmosphere we wanted to reflect.

Simultaneously, Janette Williams has been working on the score for the film. It has been really exciting hearing snippets and receiving drafts of the score. It is so exciting to see how the music has the potential to really compliment and enhance each section.

We are now waiting for the final cut of the completed film to be sent through later this week…very exciting! We will also be able to release a trailer for the film very soon, so watch this space!…

June 20th is the official launch for IN-SITE, we will then be holding events on July 25th and August 22nd  to screen the film. Myself and the dancers are currently preparing live performance/ improvisations that can take place at each event. Its great to be transforming the work once again! We hope to see as many of you as possible at our screenings throughout the summer!

 

Our last Blog Post took us up to the end of our Research and Development in April, and with our filming weekend around the corner I thought it was time for an update!

Since then the entire team has been hard at work… Nicola has been tirelessly making more blue dresses ready for filming. Nicola has also been creating smaller dresses to be displayed as part of Katayoun Dowlatshahg’s exhibition at Rochester Art Gallery.

Myself and the dancers have been developing and refining the movement material. We have looked at developing character and intention to create a unique and cohesive visual language. I have also been sourcing costumes and thinking about the overall look of the film and the choreography.

Nicola and I have met with James Williams for a storyboarding meeting of the film. This was a great insight into the way in which James works and prepares for shooting a film such as this. Through discussion with us, he created a mock up of the film using the existing video footage he has. He also made notes of how each section will be shot and how each will transition from one to another. After this, James sent across the mock up film, a picture storyboard and a list of which sections will be filmed each day. All of this are valuable tools for our final week of preparation and also for the smooth running of the filming weekend.

Janette Williams is in the process of making sample tracks which we will hopefully be hearing within the next few days!

Behind the scenes, Nicola and I have been getting in touch with venues and arranging screening events for the finished film. We now have a few dates in the pipeline and we look forward to publicising them very soon!

For the next week we will be getting everything ready for filming! We are really excited to see everything come together soon!

Another fantastic week of research and development for the IN-SITE project.

Monday was spent continuing to investigate ideas further and develop movement material. On Tuesday we were joined by collaborators James and Janette in the studio. We showed all our ideas and material to James so he could document it and have a clearer idea as to the direction we are moving with the work. Seeing the material performed back to back, it was amazing to see how much we had generated in such a short space of time. This also made me realise that perhaps now was the time to stop making new material and try to focus on developing and clarifying the existing ideas. For me, this is the hardest part.

When working with such fantastic dancers the process of generating material can be organic and fluid. I am able to set a dancer a task and then work with them to unpick the movement and transform it into something new. For the non-dancers reading this, you could liken this process to the art of topiary; you plant a seed, watch the plant grow and then shape it into whatever strange and wonderful shape you wish! When there is a strong relationship between a dancer and a choreographer, this collaborative process can produce movement which is rich and personal to both parties. I love this process and can spend a lot of time working in this way. However, by Wednesday I knew I had to begin clarifying existing material so that we could move forward with the process. Wednesday and Thursday were spent re-capping and editing material both in the studio and on site. This is a challenging process as you have to let go of some ideas and stay true to the ones that have clear focus. In doing so I found myself questioning the purpose and intention of each and every aspect of the work…lots of tea was drunk!

Friday was the final day of R&D. We had the entire team on site, including both James and Jannette. This was our chance to see some of the material in the space and on the screen. Having James on site with us opened up even more possibility for the movement due to the range of ways each section can be shot. Myself, Nicola and the dancers could finally get an idea as to how the work would be framed and a glimpse of what the outcome could be…

This has given both myself and Nicola lots of food for thought. Next step= storyboarding!

Between now and the filming date, myself and the dancers will continue to question, refine and edit the movement material to ensure we are moving forward with the best quality possible.

Woah! This week saw the start of our Research and Development period for the IN-SITE Public Realm Commission! And what a start it was! Despite illness flying around I am so proud of The Collective for their dynamic response to this project!

When starting a new creation in the past I have an idea as to what I want to achieve in the first day or research. This time was different…I felt as though I couldn’t put this research into a formulated plan of action. I embarked upon this R&D process with a wealth of rich and inspirational research that Nicola had already begun to creatively explore in her own work. I wanted to take an open and fluid approach to my research with the dancers to fit the experimental and organic way that myself and Nicola had been researching throughout the project. Embracing a more spontaneous approach was a new experience for me as someone who usually likes to make a plan of action!

Monday began with company class where we were joined by students form West Kent College. We then moved onto creative work inspired by the character of Bluebell that Nicola discovered in her research. Bluebell would often carry lots of bags around with her along with a variety of wired and wonderful objects. Using this as our inspiration, we experimented with object manipulation. After lunch, Nicola arrived to talk the dancers through her research in more detail. She also gave us some HUGE blue dresses. The rest of the afternoon was spent finding ways to work with these unique dresses. Some beautiful floor work was developed using the material to carve interesting shapes in space.

Tuesday was due to be our first day on site at Sun Pier. Unfortunately we were faced with extremely high winds, making it difficult to work outside. A solution was offered to us by Laura and Louise from FrancisKnight who suggested we work in a near by office block where space is available. From the 9th floor of the block there is a brilliant view of Sun Pier. For the rest of the day we focused on character work, thinking about Bluebell’s eccentric personality and her quirky habits.

Wednesday, we were back at West Kent College! We began developing new material that can travel the length of the pier in a dynamic way. In the afternoon we were joined by James Williams (who will be creating the film), Janette Williams (who will be creating the sound score) and also the wonderful Nicola. It was brilliant to have all the collaborators together to talk about the project in more depth and bounce ideas around. Collaboration is a fantastic experience when you are lucky enough to be working with people whose work you respect and admire. The rest of the day was spent really developing, in depth, our character solos to create rich and interesting ideas.

Thursday was the day we all got sun burnt! A gloriously sunny day on the pier resulted in several red faces! We spent the morning experimenting with existing material in-situ. The afternoon was spent experimenting with hanging the dresses in various ways. These garments are obscure and abstract and are completely new for us to be working with. Therefore it is important that we invest time in working out unique ways to incorporate them into the work.

Friday began with a discussion about the direction of the work between myself, Nicola and the dancers. This was a really useful discussion to have at this point as it helped to clarify what we do and don’t want from the work. We then filmed the material so far from the cafe to give an alternative ‘wide-shot’ perspective. In the afternoon we developed duets, each of which took a different dynamic but both of them were brilliant.

So far the project has been really varied and exciting! The team is looking forward to seeing what the 2nd week will offer up…